 |
||||||||
 |
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
Volleyball Tritons holding their ownBy RODNEY PAGE
© St. Petersburg Times, Eckerd coach Hollie Miller said before the season that the Sunshine State Conference would be a two-team race. So far, she has been correct. Tampa and Barry sit atop the conference standings with five matches remaining. Both have a record of 22-2. Tampa is 9-0 in the league, and Barry is 8-1. If those two squads clearly are the SSC's best, and perhaps tops in the nation, then Eckerd can't feel badly about being in third place at 19-8, 5-4 in the conference. The Tritons have a one-match lead over Florida Tech and Lynn. Eckerd is going a long way over the weekend to clear up its Sunshine State standing with matches against Barry and Lynn. "We have five conference (matches) left, and we hope to win all five," Miller said. "We were ahead of both Tampa and Barry in all three we played against them, but we couldn't finish it. We have a lot of confidence." Last week, senior middle hitter Kelly Street led the Tritons with 18 kills in two matches. Eckerd has two more weeks in the regular season, which includes matches against Tampa, Florida Southern and Saint Leo. The Tritons are ranked fifth in the South Region. The top six teams receive an at-large bid to play in the NCAA tournament. "Unless we screw it up, I like our chances of getting a bid," Miller said. Though Eckerd is hanging by a thread for a postseason bid, St. Petersburg College made it to the junior college state tournament at Brevard Community College in Titusville. The Titans finished third in the Suncoast Conference after losing a second-place tie-breaker to Hillsborough Community College. SPC is 12-13, 6-4 in the league, and making its third straight appearance in the state tourney. Sophomore middle hitter Julie Huber and freshman middle hitter Sarah McPhearson were named to the All-Suncoast Conference First Team. CLEARWATER CHRISTIAN VOLLEYBALL: The Cougars are at it again. Even though this was supposed to be a rebuilding year for Clearwater Christian, the team qualified for this weekend's NCAA Division II Tournament in Iowa by winning the South Region tourney. Freshman Jenny Goodson, junior Jammie Hunter and senior Angela Long were named to the All-Region First Team. Juniors Cindy Compton and Kerri Lamborn made the second team. ECKERD SOCCER: The Tritons missed a chance to win the Sunshine State Conference women's championship when they lost Tuesday to Barry, 1-0. Barry (15-3, 6-0) won the title for the third consecutive season and is 21-1 in four years against SSC opponents. Eckerd goalkeeper Kathy Atkins was named the conference's defensive player of the week after making seven saves against Barry. Atkins has a 0.95 goals-against average and 60 saves in 14 matches. The Eckerd men's team is struggling in a tough conference. Through Thursday, the Tritons were 3-11-1, 1-5 in the league. Lynn and Tampa are national powerhouses and atop the conference standings. Lynn is 17-0, 6-0. Tampa is 14-0-2, 5-0-1. SSC BASKETBALL: Some of the men's teams in the conference tip off the season over the weekend. Rollins, Barry, Saint Leo and Florida Southern are participating in exhibition games. Eckerd, predicted to finish third in the league, starts its season Nov. 17 against Puerto Rico-Cayey. The Eckerd women tip off a day earlier against Puerto Rico-Cayey.
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • Tampa Bay Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111 
|
From the Times North Pinellas desks |
